BRITAIN’S biggest casino chain could face its first strike by croupiers and waiting staff in a dispute over pay and working conditions.

Union members among the 2,400 staff at Stanley Leisure’s 41 casinos are voting on whether they will strike and the result is expected next Thursday. No British casino has faced a strike before.

Staff being balloted include chefs, receptionists, cleaners and security staff along with the croupiers and cashiers.

Stanley Leisure has offered a 3.2 per cent pay increase but GMB is pressing for 4.5 per cent, arguing that some staff earn only about £10,000 a year, or just above minimum wage.

The union also says that although Stanley Leisure operates top casinos such as Crockfords and The Colony Club and the country’s biggest casino, Star City in Birmingham, some needed renovation. GMB said that some workers at an Edinburgh casino were so cold that they used a tumble dryer to generate warmth.

Mick Ainsley, GMB organiser, said: “GMB members in casinos have for far too long been undervalued by their employer. They are fed up with Stanley’s failure to deal with low pay in some areas in an industry that can’t claim to have no money.”

Stanley Leisure, which is chaired by Conservative Party donor Lord Steinberg, recently sold its 600 betting shops to William Hill and hopes to expand into mega-casinos when they become legal in Britain.

A spokesman for Stanley Leisure declined to comment before more talks were held with the union.

The company made profits of £26 million on sales of £178 million last year.

GMB is targeting casinos and the hospitality industry as it tries to get footholds in the new economy and sectors that are traditionally low paid. The union also represents sex workers and recently established a division for chauffeurs.

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